Five Times Dick Smiled At Jason, And One Time Jason Smiled Back
by xStarxSapphirex
Summary: Short little drabbles exploring the relationship between Jason Todd and Dick Grayson through smiles.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is my first ever attempt at writing fanfiction (though I've been an avid reader for a while) and I'm kind of nervous about putting my work out there, but you've inspired me to try my hand! My experience with Batman is sort of a mix of comics, TV shows, and movies so please bear with me if I make some mistakes. I hope my portrayals aren't too terribly OOC.**

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><p>The first time that Dick smiles at him takes Jason off guard because until then he'd never seen the older boy smile. Their relationship is tense and angry on both sides, neither boy willing to make the first step in repairing it. But it's fine because Nightwing works in Bludhaven anyway and it's not like Jason needs his approval anyway, or at least that's what he tells himself. But a small part of him can't help but be a little stung by his predecessor's distance and anger, because he knows that gaining Nightwing's approval will be the first step in gaining Batman's.<p>

So when he finishes up a training exercise, some stupid acrobatic thing that Jason doesn't understand why Batman makes him do it, he's surprised to find Nightwing watching him. The expression on the older boy's face is odd, a mixture of pain, longing, grief, and something else Jason can't decipher. He just stands there for a moment, feeling awkward and unsure because this is the first time that he hasn't seen anger on the former Robin's face.

There's a long silence and Jason is just about to turn and leave when Nightwing finally speaks and he freezes because those aren't the words he'd expected to hear. Criticism on the few stumbles he'd made, some snide comment about how he's just a kid, something angry that will hurt despite how much he tells himself it doesn't. But certainly not the hesitant whisper that comes out so much softer and younger than he's ever heard the black and blue clad vigilante ever sound.

"It suits you," is all Nightwing says, but it makes Jason's heart soar ridiculously high. The older boy offers him a small smile, one that doesn't quite reach his sad eyes, and then turns to leave. Jason doesn't move for a long time, shocked by the words and the smile, and wondering why he feels like a huge weight has just been lifted.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I'm back again! Thank you all so much for your kind comments, it made me very happy to see that people are enjoying my writing! It inspired me enough to whip up the next drabble though this one is kind of short. I almost waited longer before posting it but decided to go ahead since I probably won't get much written over Thanksgiving Break. Enjoy!**

**Beth- Thank you so much for your encouragement! I was pretty worried about my portrayal but your point made me feel much better!**

**Disclaimer: I forgot this in the previous chapter, oops! I don't own Batman or DC or anything like that.**

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><p>The second time it happens they're all in the Batcave, a pretty rare occurrence with the tension between Batman and Nightwing, and Jason is steadfastly ignoring the two arguing on the other side of the cave. He's not a touchy-feely, happy, family person, not like Dick is, but he isn't immune to the pain it causes when their little messed-up family fights either, not like Batman is. So he just focuses on cleaning up from patrol and blocks out the argument that's starting to echo through the cave. He doesn't know how it started and it really doesn't matter because they'll always find something to argue about no matter how good things are. But he does know from experience that any interference on his part or on Alfred's will only make the matter worse. One of them, usually Batman, would snap at the would-be peacemaker and the other, usually Dick, would flare up in protective indignation. He's learned to let them deal with it on their own, even if they're both too proud and stupid to see that they really do care about each other and that their fights are dumb and pointless.<p>

A loud crash and a low curse startle him into paying attention though, and he realizes that Batman has punched the wall in a fit of anger and is now cradling his bruised hand to his chest. Jason and Dick just stare at him for a moment in shock because no one, _no one_ has ever made Batman lose control like that not even Dick. It's then that Jason realizes for the first time that the only person who has ever been capable of, and is probably the only person who ever will be capable of breaking down Batman's carefully constructed walls is Dick Grayson.

And then suddenly Dick is laughing, _laughing_, and Jason can't believe that he actually dares to do that to Batman's face. Because even though Batman lost all of his blank stoicism for a moment and actually punched the wall and hurt his hand, it's _Batman_ and no one ever laughs at Batman. But Dick is still laughing as he turns to look over at Jason as if inviting him to share in the absolute ridiculousness of the situation. Dick grins at him and Jason _wants_ to smile back, he _wants_ laugh with him because it's _funny_. But he doesn't because Batman is still scowling and right now Jason is sure that Dick is the only person in the world who can get away with laughing.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey all! Sorry that it's been a while, things have been kind of crazy for me lately. But to make up for it, I have a double update for you guys! I hope you enjoy them! Thanks for all the reviews, it's nice to know that people are enjoying my writing!**

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><p>The third time that Dick smiles at him, Jason begins to feel as if maybe he's really a part of the family and not some street rat that Bruce took in to spite Dick. He was sitting on the floor in the living room, struggling to work on his math homework. Batman had banned him from patrol until his homework was done, Jason wasn't really surprised that Batman found out he'd been slacking off only that it'd taken so long, and had threatened to make the ban indefinite unless his grades improved. Alfred had tried to make the helpful suggestion of calling 'Master Richard' up for help because apparently the older boy had been a mathlete while at Gotham Academy, but that had only worsened Jason's mood.<p>

Of course he was a mathlete, he was Dick Grayson, the golden child of Gotham City even when he didn't live here anymore, and the obvious favorite of Bruce's. Sometimes Jason really wants to hate the other boy, even though it's essentially impossible to do so, and sometimes when Dick's gone for lengthy periods of times he actually starts to succeed. But then Dick will walk in with his sunny disposition and bright outlook, and Jason suddenly feels impossibly guilty for trying to hate the man that calls himself his big brother.

"Algebra? Man, I'm glad I'm through with all of that, it's a pain, yeah?" a voice rings out from beside him. With a startled yelp, Jason slams the book closed and glared dangerously at the man who'd somehow managed to sneak up on him. Dick raises his hands in a placating gesture and backs up to flop easily onto the couch but it does nothing to soothe Jason's growing temper. He's embarrassed, both that Dick saw him struggling so pitifully with what probably seemed like a simple problem to him and of the unmanly yelp he'd let out when Dick spoke. Jason didn't deal well with embarrassment so he turned it to something he did understand, anger.

"The only pain I see is you, why are you here anyway? I thought you and Bruce were in the hate part of your relationship right now," he snapped, feeling both vindictive and guilty when Dick flinched slightly at his words. He knew that the rather strained relationship between the two was a touchy subject for the both of them but it's one of the few things he knows will get under Dick's skin. And right now all Jason wants to do is somehow get under the older boy's skin, make feel him angry and uncomfortable just like Dick was making him feel. Deep down he knows that it's not Dick's fault that Bruce sees him as the perfect Robin and that in Batman's opinion Jason will never be good enough. It's not his fault either that Alfred puts him on a pedestal and constantly draws comparisons between the two, usually to Jason's disadvantage, like earlier when he'd pointed out that Dick had always been gifted at math. But he needs to lash out at someone and he can't lash out at Alfred because he always feels way too guilty afterwards and it would be suicide to try and take it out on Bruce, so Dick it is.

He can feel the bright blue eyes staring at him intently but he keeps his eyes on the book in front of him and refuses to meet his 'brother's' gaze. It's ridiculous, he wants to hate the older boy but one look at that kicked puppy expression and he suddenly feels horribly guilty. He shouldn't feel guilty, he's done nothing wrong and yet it's really not Dick's fault that Bruce likes him better, as much as Jason wants it to be. Shifting slightly, Jason reluctantly glances up at the older boy. He's pleased but not really surprised to find that Dick was still in the room and hadn't fled from the terrible attitude that the younger boy was displaying.

Bruce always left, but not in a way that made it seem like a victory for Jason. He would just look at him, all blank mask and no emotion, and then turn and leave with an air of 'I honestly couldn't care less what you do, and I really don't want to deal with you right now'. That's what made Jason the angriest, how little Bruce seemed to care or want to make this work. For heaven's sake, Dick tried harder than Bruce ever did and the older boy was rarely around, not to mention the fact that Jason was always ten times nastier to Dick than he ever was to Bruce. And yet still, Dick tried and tried and tried again to make Jason open up to him, to bond with him, and to make him feel welcome and even lo- no, Jason wouldn't go there. He could accept that Dick wanted to get along, and that he might even want to be friends but anything else was foreign territory to Jason and that frightened him.

Clearing his throat to get the other boy's attention, Jason dropped his eyes back to the book and tried to adopt a careless attitude. "This stuff is stupid and I don't understand why I need to know it but if you want to… you know, brush up on it…" he trailed off awkwardly, unsure of how exactly to ask for help without sounding pathetic and dumb. After a moment of excruciating silence, he glanced up to see whether or not the older boy had even heard him and was surprised to see that Dick was _smiling_. It's a bright, happy smile like all of Dick's are, but there's something else there too that Jason doesn't quite understand at first. And then suddenly, he realizes that the expression is affection and that maybe, just maybe someone actually does care about him for once. The realization brings about a rush of different emotions and Jason has to duck his head again before he does something embarrassing like smile back or cry. But as Dick flops down next to him and starts talking about graphs and equations and other boring things, Jason lets himself dare to hope that he's found a family.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Enjoy everyone! And please review!**

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><p>The fourth time is even more unexpected than the first time, mostly because Jason had never again expected to see Dick Grayson smile. He's in Blüdhaven, not Gotham, and he's trying very hard to think of why that might be. Part of it is because of that new kid that's tagging along after Batman now, and although Jason does his best not to think of that, the pain and betrayal are as raw and hurting as when he first found out. He wonders briefly if this is how Dick felt when he discovered Jason, and for the first time regards Dick's initial treatment of him with something other than hurt and anger.<p>

Actually, he admires Dick for the control he had and the relative ease with which he eventually accepted Jason as Robin. Just thinking of the kid that Batman had replaced him with filled Jason with the barely restrained urge to run to Gotham and tear the uniform off the kid then murder him painfully. Because underneath the anger, at Batman, at the replacement, at _everyone_, is the hurt that he's always tried so hard to mask. Is he really so easily forgotten? Is he really so easily replaced?

And that is the real reason that he's in Bludhaven now, because he wants to know somehow that Dick would never replace him like that. Dick knows how it feels to be cast aside so carelessly by the man they'd both once looked up to, and Jason can't believe, won't believe, that Dick has cast him aside too. Ridiculous and pathetically needy as it sounds, he's here because he wants to know that Dick hasn't replaced him with the runt tagging along with Batman. He needs to know that someone still cares, and right now it looks like Dick is his last option.

"Looking for something?" a voice rings out from behind him, calm and assured but with an underlying warmth and mischief that Batman's never had.

It startles Jason, he'd been expecting Dick to be working tonight at the police station, not already out patrolling as Nightwing. He jerks around and his hand is on his gun before he fully processes who it is that's standing across from him on the rooftop. The other man doesn't move to disarm or attack him but he tenses ever so slightly in preparation for a possible attack from Jason. Neither moves for the longest time, just standing silently and sizing each other up. Jason is searching for the younger, lighter, happier man he knew in the hero that stands before him and there's a faint frown on Nightwing's face that suggests he too is trying to place the man before him.

"I think I just found him," Jason finally says after the silence reaches a crescendo. He doesn't know why he doesn't just shoot at Nightwing and disappear, he'd never intended to actually confront him just to see him and know that the other man hadn't forgotten his little brother. Slowly, he removes the red mask, both anticipating and fearing the reaction that would follow.

There's a brief moment of shell-shocked silence, silence that has never been so long or so loud to Jason, and he begins to wonder if he's made a terrible mistake. Then Nightwing makes a noise, and even though it's a bizarre sort of choked gasp, Jason is so ridiculously grateful that his brother hasn't forgotten him that he doesn't care that he appears to have fried the other man's brain.

"Jay?" he finally whispers, so softly and so damn hopefully that Jason has to swallow a sudden lump in throat. He sort of half shrugs and tries desperately to think of some sort of caustic reply but there's a blindingly bright smile on Dick's face now and Jason has to work insanely hard not to reply in kind.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! Thank you all so much for the reviews!**

The fifth time that Dick Grayson smiles at Jason, it prevents a brutal and bloody massacre. They're having a family dinner, all three of the former Robins, the current one, and of course Batman. It's mostly silent aside from the multiple conversation attempts coming from the oldest of Bruce Wayne's wards. How in the hell Dick managed to get them all to agree to this disaster in the making is beyond Jason, but since it's Dick he isn't really all that surprised that it worked.

The dinner is awkward though, and there's an underlying tension that it seems everyone but Dick can feel. It's not completely unbearable yet, though Bruce's stony silence at the head of the table is slowly igniting Jason's anger. Drake is sitting next to him, why on earth that was deemed a good idea is beyond all comprehension, but he supposes it's better than having to stare at the kid's face all night. Not that the person currently across from him is much better, the little brat introduced as Damian has been begging to be killed in increasingly painful ways all night. Well, not in so many words but the little snide remarks and the holier-than-thou attitude with which he treats everyone, excluding Bruce because no one is that brave except maybe Dick, is really starting to irritate Jason.

So far though he's managed to ignore the little demon, he's not going to give the brat the satisfaction of seeing that he's getting to him. Besides, a small part of him really wants this dinner to work out somehow as if it could magically fix everything that's wrong with this horribly screwed up family. Honestly, he also doesn't want to ruin it for Dick, because right now he's the only one in the entire world who gives a damn about Jason Todd, and Jason is too selfish to ruin that. He might have been raised by Bruce Wayne but it's always been Dick Grayson who showed him kindness and affection, and it's Dick Grayson that he's here for now not Bruce Wayne.

It's when the kid makes a seemingly offhand comment about crowbars, though everyone could hear the malice hidden beneath, that Jason reacts. He's managed to ignore everything else but that one strikes a little too close to home, too close to the wound of raw emotions that's reopened every night in his nightmares. Everyone at the table freezes and looks to Jason for his reaction, and although he can vaguely hear Dick rebuking the demon child, his attention is on the brat's smugly victorious expression.

He takes a breath, ready to explode in an angry burst of biting remarks, nasty swear words, and quite possibly a weapon or two, but he guesses that he held it too long because Dick seems to think that he's taking the breath to calm down. Then Dick sends him a grateful look with a bright smile, because he thinks that _someone_ is actually trying to make this work and that Jason is the better person. And damn it but Jason can't bear to be the one to ruin this for him, not the meal and not the illusion of the man that Dick seems to think he is. Not after all of the wheedling, shouting, pleading, fighting, and even blackmailing that Dick went through to make this dinner happen, and certainly not after everything that Dick has done to make him feel welcomed back again. So he lets the breath out and lets his words go unsaid, though he vows to himself that the next time he sees Damian, Dick won't be nearby so he can murder the little brat in peace.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Ok, here's the last chapter guys! I don't think it turned out as well as the others but I hope you enjoy it anyway! Thank you all so much for reading this and for your kind reviews! I really appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Batman, or DC, or anything interesting really...**

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><p>The last time that Dick smiles at him, Jason can't help but smile back even though it feels wrong and twisted. They're sitting in a rapidly growing puddle of blood, well Jason's kneeling and Dick's sort of half sprawled in his lap. He's in his Nightwing costume though it's barely recognizable through the rips, tears, dirt and blood covering it, or maybe it's because of the tears that Jason can't will away no matter how hard he tries.<p>

It's his fault, this entire mess is his fault though he doesn't feel guilty just yet because right now all he can feel is an all-consuming numbness. He and Dick had fought earlier that night, a nastier fight than they'd ever had before and Jason had lost his temper. He could barely remember what it had been about, probably Bruce or some other member of the 'Bat-family' as Dick had so lovingly dubbed it, because somehow all fights led back around to that. He couldn't understand why Dick insisted on trying to fix their broken, twisted family when it was so clear that it was beyond repair. He'd always thought that maybe it was because Dick felt guilty about Jason's death (although he'd secretly hoped that it was something more that kept Dick going), and was tired of his 'brother's' continuous efforts to reconcile him with Bruce.

He'd said as much in their argument and Dick had looked briefly hurt before answering that it was because they were family that he tried, because that was what family did. And for some reason that had made Jason irrationally angry, because yeah maybe the rest of the family could be fixed but he was irreparably damaged and eventually Dick was going to realize that and give up just like the rest of the 'Bat-family' had. Bruce had given up on him the moment he died, the Replacement had given up almost as soon as they met, and he was pretty sure that the Demon-Spawn had never even cared anyway. Alfred had hung on for a while but eventually Jason had succeeded in driving away even the stubborn butler, and all he had left now was Dick. Dick who always expected more of him than he could give, who kept looking for good even though there was none to be found, who refused to just give up on Jason and let the darkness consume him.

So he'd attacked his big brother with all of the ferocity of a wild animal, and when he'd realized that Dick was only reacting defensively in moves that wouldn't injure, it only made him angrier. Eventually he'd stopped his brutal assault but only once he realized that if he went any further he risked severely injuring his brother, and then the anger had faded to be replaced with the foreign feeling of shame. He'd fled then and left the battered Nightwing alone, assuming that the other man would take the night off and return home to lick his wounds.

Stupid. He'd been stupid to ever think that. Nightwing and Batman were the same in that they'd never let something as trivial as an injury keep them from their nightly patrol, even if the injury wasn't trivial in the slightest. Nightwing had continued with his patrol and the beating that he'd taken at the hands of his own brother slowed him enough to where a group of thugs had managed to get the better of him. They'd shot him, three times, and then given him a nasty beating and turned to leave him for dead. None of them had expected to face an incensed Red Hood, and Jason had methodically and painfully killed them all before turning to his brother.

What he found turned his veins to ice, and the cold fingers of fear wrapped around his heart and made it hard to breathe. The wounds were extensive and even as he worked desperately to stop the flow of blood, Jason knew that it was futile. That didn't stop him from trying though and he only halted in his movements when he heard Dick's voice weakly call his name. He hesitated briefly, too cowardly to face his brother's eyes and the accusation and hatred that he feared he would find. When he finally dared to look up, he saw that his older brother had managed to remove the mask and it was so _so_ wrong to see _Dick's_ face on _Nightwing's_ body.

_Nightwing_ was the vigilante superhero who stood for justice and righteousness and all that shit, _Nightwing_ was a younger embodiment of Batman even if neither of them realized it, and _Nightwing_ could take brutal beatings nightly and survive. _Dick_ was his brother who stood for all of the love and acceptance that Jason so desperately craved but could find nowhere else, _Dick_ was opposite of Bruce and the one who had cared for and inspired Jason, and he was bright and full of life and hope, and oh god he was so small and fragile.

"'S ok, Jay," Dick murmured softly, ignoring the thin thread of red on the corner of his mouth, "Don't worry, 'sall ok." His blue eyes were still bright, even as he lay bleeding out in his brother's arms, and they were as full of love and understanding as they had been when Jason was Robin and still deserved that look. "Keep tryin' Jay? For me?" he slurred, words beginning to blur together. Jason nodded slowly, not trusting himself to speak around the lump in his throat that just kept getting bigger. His brother smiled at him then, as bright and happy as always, even as the blue of his eyes grew dimmer. "Smile, Jay?" he asked softly, the words surprisingly clear to the younger man. With immense effort, Jason twisted his lips into some semblance of a smile and was rewarded by the brightening of Dick's own. He was still smiling, always smiling and happy, even as he was dying because Jason was too proud and angry to admit that he missed his family. And then he was gone, and Jason was alone in the warehouse, alone in the world, and alone with the ghost of his brother's last smile haunting him.

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><p><strong>RascalJoy:<strong> Aww, thank you! I decided to jump right into one of my favorite universes, which looking back might not have been a good idea… But I'm glad that you like the story, reviews like this are why I keep writing! I also really like "ASAYSA", I may borrow that sometime if you don't mind. ;D

**ARL15:** Agreed! I'm not a huge fan of Jason as Robin but I adore him as Red Hood. I'm glad you liked the previous chapters, I've always wanted to see the whole Bat-Family together for dinner. Hmm, maybe a little oneshot? Anyway, thanks for your support!

**Haro kzoids:** Gracias!

**Guest 1:** Thank you! I love that Dick tries so hard to get his family to get along and work together. Honestly, that dinner was probably on his bucket list….

**Guest 2:** Not sure if you're the same person as above, so I decided to reply separately. D: Jason hadn't smiled back just yet, this chapter is the one where he finally did. (:


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